A Deer Caught in the Headlights
by Orpah
Summary: Shikamaru is tortured. What effect will this have on his character? no pairings as of yet
1. Chapter 1

Well, after only six hours of sleep because my sister was crying about her boyfriend all night, I felt like writing something more.

I don't own Naruto!

It had been a simple mission. But things had arisen that refused to quiet themselves, and so team 10 had to fight a group of more experienced shinobi. Without Asuma, even Shikamaru lost, and was captured. Choji was left for dead and Ino had escaped.

Now, Shikamaru was chained to strange bed thing. He could easily infer that this meant he was going to be tortured for information. As he looked about the room, he could tell he was underground by the darkness, the moss on the walls, and the general chill of the air in the room. It was a very musty, yet damp sort of chill.

Suddenly, a man with a mask on came into the room. Shikamaru watched as he smiled cruelly, showing off very white teeth.

It was all Shikamaru could do to stay calm.

_A few hours into the future_

Shikamaru had finally been left alone by that man. How long had he been torturing him? Hours? Days? He wasn't sure, but he knew that despite his lack of restraints, there was no way he could crawl to that door and get out of this hellhole.

Maybe someone would rescue him, but that was foolish. It was unlikely they would know where to look. Shikamaru managed to curl up, trying to keep the logic coming. Asuma would know where he was...

Shikamaru shook his head. He didn't want to lose his sanity now, and Asuma probably didn't even know he was captured yet.

Maybe Naruto would know, the guy never ceased to surprise him.... No, Naruto couldn't know. Choji couldn't know, neither could Ino. They might not even know he was alive. He was startled when a slight whimper emitted from his scratchy throat. The thought of being left here was overpowering. Maybe, for now, he could just pretend Asuma knew where he was....

"They'll come," he whispered to himself, knowing the foolishness of the words.

He eventually passed out from exhaustion, and woke up in a chair, strapped down. He started feeling claustrophobic, pulling at his bonds. He heard a chuckle, and froze. It was that man again.

His eyes filled with terror as he looked at him, and the masked man looked back. Then he smirked an evil smirk, and Shikamaru knew it was going to be bad.

_A few hours later, because I do not want to do graphic stuff_

Now Shikamaru lay in a painful heap, just staring at the wall and shaking, his tears long gone. He wanted out of here! He never wanted to see that man again! Why wasn't Asuma coming?!

He cried, but without tears, since they had long ago been spent. This was a strange, hoarse croaking instead.

No one was coming, he'd known it from the very beginning. He always knew, they wouldn't find him. The base was probably too well hidden, or they were under the impression he was dead.

No one was coming.

He managed to drag himself into an almost sitting position, wincing as he did so. Maybe he would find a way out of here... He'd seen where his captor put his keys, and also he knew he could probably steal it right off the keychain that his tormentor used. It wouldn't be so hard, would it?

Suddenly, Shikamaru fell forward, unable to support himself in that position any longer. Who was he kidding? There was no way he could move himself out there, he could barely sit.

He lay there, feeling all willpower dissolve into the moist air.

Just then, however, the door burst open. Shikamaru looked up in terror. How could that man be back so soon?!

But it wasn't that man, it was Naruto and his team. Naruto came running forward. "Man, Shikamaru, you look terrible! What did they do to you?!" Naruto put out his arms to help Shikamaru up.

Shikamaru flinched away from his touch, and blurted, "Stop! You're getting your stuff on me!" He still recoiled backwards, breathing hoarsely. Sakura and Naruto looked startled. Sasuke looked like he didn't care. Kakashi looked somewhat thoughtful.

"What stuff?" Naruto wanted to know, looking confused. Shikamaru just shook his head back and forth, covering his ears with his hands. "You're getting your stuff on me," he still insisted, stayed curled against the wall where he was.

"Kakashi, what's wrong with Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, hanging back. Kakashi sighed. "Looks like they did quite a number on him."

Shikamaru wasn't entirely sure why he felt such panic about Naruto, or anyone else, getting their 'stuff' on him, but it really did petrify him at that moment. He glanced up at Kakashi, who was looking him a little studiously, like he was trying to decide what to do with him.

Suddenly he came forward, lifting Shikamaru easily. Shikamaru panicked, flailing and probably tearing open wounds. "No! Stop! You're getting your stuff all over me! Stop!"

Kakashi quickly used a pellet full of knockout gas to put Shikamaru to sleep for now. He looked at the rest of his team, who were looking at Shikamaru with varying degrees of alarm. "We have to leave now, come on!" Kakashi said, leading them out of the hideout.

He detonated several bombs as they made it out, and then they made it to the trees. He propped Shikamaru against a tree, and looked over his wounds. It appeared whoever did this knew what they were doing, that's for sure.

He could only hope Shikamaru would recover someday....

Yay! I plan on doing a second chapter probably..


	2. Chapter 2

Anyways, I wish I had been able to do more writing lately, but I haven't been able to get on for a variety of reasons. Enjoy the second chapter please!

I don't own Naruto!

Shikamaru's eyes opened slowly, taking in the white room surrounding him. Wait just second... How did he get here? Last he checked, his world consisted of grey stone, moss and metal bars.

"Hey! Guys, look! Shikamaru's awake!" Shikamaru's head whipped around to spot Naruto, tugging Sakura into the room, with Ino and Chouji close behind. He felt the sudden need to pull up the covers further, so they were practically covering his mouth.

"How are you doing?!" Ino asked, concern written all over her face. Chouji was munching chips, which Shikamaru was grateful for. It restored some level of normalcy for him. Naruto suddenly got in his face. "Do you feel better now?!" Shikamaru almost threw himself backwards to make space in between both of them, a sharp intake of breath punctuating the movement.

Sakura hit Naruto on the head, pulling him back. "Idiot! Kakashi-sensei said not to touch him!" Naruto started whining. "But I didn't touch him, Sakura! Don't be so mean... Ow!"

While the pair pulled off to the corner so Sakura could continue abusing Naruto, Ino looked at Shikamaru intently. "Are you okay, Shikamaru?" Chouji had stopped munching, watching him just as carefully. Shikamaru nodded weakly. "I'm.. I'm great... You guys don't need to worry.."

"Of course we do, we're your friends! Are you sure you're just fine?" Ino said, voice raising a couple decibels. "Yes, of course..." Shikamaru said, still keeping the covers bunched up around him. Chouji's brow creased in concern. "Positive?"

Shikamaru sighed, holding his head in his hands. He wanted to talk to them about it, he wanted to just let it out, but at the same time, he was afraid of what they would think. Would they think he was insane? Or would they just think he was weak and broken and wouldn't want to be around him?

"Shikamaru, you can talk to us. We're not going to make fun of you or anything, I promise," Chouji said, very concerned over the internal debate he could see going on in Shikamaru's head.

"I.. I just don't want to talk about it, guys." He felt inexplicable stinging in the corners of his eyes. Ino and Chouji watched him, but didn't say anything. Maybe he would want to talk to Asuma about it...

A nurse came in, ushering them out. Naruto yelled over his shoulder that he'd be back later with some ramen, and Sakura had hit him over the head. Then everything had been quiet.

Shikamaru felt uneasy. It was so quiet, just like... Just like it had been in that place. He felt his heart start to race. He immediately placed his hand over it, starting to panic. He knew it was illogical, there was no reason to freak out because it was too quiet.

Too quiet, too quiet! He felt his head start to pound. He had to get out of here now! Feeling like he was fighting invisible demons, he tore free of the sheets and ran out of the room, both hands on his head. He was breathing heavily, and he swore he could feel someone right behind him, breathing on him as it easily kept pace.

He scared the nurses out of their wits as burst past them, trying desperately to get away from the thing behind him. He nearly knocked into an elderly patient on his way out the door.

He ran out into the meadow, but he just couldn't get away from it. He could feel pure terror rising in his throat as its fingers grabbed his shoulders. Slamming into a tree to shake it off, he continued on in a haphazard manner, trying to free himself from something he coldn't see. It had to get off him, he had to get it away!

He slammed into another tree, but the thing seemed resourceful, for he could still feel its finger clinging to him. He started to choke as the fingers closed around his neck, and he fell to his knees, wildly clawing and kicking, trying to get away from it. Nothing he did could shake it off, and his vision started to grow fuzzy as he took uneven, gasping breaths.

Suddenly, he felt a large pair of hands on his arms. He looked up, eyes still wide with terror. The man before was undeniably familiar, and he felt him wrap his arms around him, pulling him close. He started to shake violently, feeling the fingers slip away from his neck.

"Shikamaru, are you okay?" It was Asuma. Shikamaru started to cry, and plead with Asuma. "Please, please keep it away! I can't... Please!" Asuma rubbed Shikamaru's head, rocking him back and forth. He'd dealt with trauma victims before, so he did have some idea what he was doing here. Looking down at his quivering, sobbing student, he felt a painful twist in his chest. Whoever did this to him deserved to die, no questions about it.

They stayed there for some time, until Shikamaru had calmed down. Then he and Asuma walked back to the hospital, and Asuma stuck around until Shikamaru finally fell into a troubled sleep.

Aren't you guys proud of me? It only took me a couple months to finish! *Hangs head in shame* I'm really sorry it took so long! Please forgive me!


	3. Chapter 3

Well, I thought I should try and at least update this story, for sugarcrazedninja's sake, since I can't think of any new ideas yet...

I don't own Naruto!

Shikamaru awoke, peering blearily at his room. He felt strangely... lightheaded. Maybe it was because clouds were in his head... No wait, that didn't make much sense at all...He slowly raised himself out of bed, his thoughts seeming to come slower than snails. How had he gotten here?

He strained for a minute to remember, vaguely likening his thought processes to pouring wet sand down a funnel, it felt so slow. He thought maybe it was... Asuma? Yes, that's right, Asuma had brought him here....He put both his feet on the floor, intending to leave. Why was he here? He'd already forgotten....

Maybe going outside would clear his head... He liked outside... because it had clouds... and butterflies... and other things...

He found he was wobbly, but it didn't bother him much as he made his way slowly and liltingly towards the door. He put both hands on the handle, trying to force it to open. He blinked when he realised he was pushing it the wrong way. He stared at it for a couple seconds, then thought to turn it the correct way. He was pleased when he was rewarded with a click, and the door opened.

He looked down the hallway, and he noticed everything seemed to have a... halo, he supposed, of light. That was unusual, but yet again did not bother him much. He teetered down the hallway, escaping the nurses' notice for the moment. The colors were strangely vivid, and brilliant. They hurt his eyes, so he squinted as he went along.

Everything looked so different now, but he wasn't sure why....

As he stumbled right out of the hospital, he got some looks from people outside, but no one stopped in their busy day to make sure he was supposed to be out here. He nearly got knocked down several times, in fact, as he tried to navigate towards his home.

Home, however, seemed to be too far away. He ended up slipping onto a bench, feeling almost as if he should be going to sleep right then and there. Everything seemed so hazy... Maybe sleeping would make it better...

"Shikamaru?! What are you doing out here?!" Ino's grating voice shocked him out of sleep, and his head turned slowly to look at her blankly. Her inanely curious eyes met his, and he blinked sleepily. "Hi... Ino..." Remembering her name had been easy enough, just slow. Probably too slow for Ino, in any case. She looked at him like he was insane.

"Shikamaru? Are you okay?! You look really pale!" When her inquiry went unanswered, she groaned. "Come on, why don't you come back to my house and get some water. It's only a couple blocks away." She grasped his arm, and he followed her, drowsily looking around him. She had to keep a very close eye to make sure he didn't walk into anything.

Shikamaru's head lolled as he followed. Ino pushed open a door, leading him in gently. He nearly tripped on the doorstep, naturally.

"Does anyone even know where you are?" Ino asked him, carefully guiding him into a chair. He stared at her for a second, then shook his head, looking as if he'd just realised that himself. Ino sighed. Asuma would probably be worried sick...

"I'm going to go get Asuma, okay? So he knows where you are... Stay here." It seemed almost as if her words did not penetrate Shikamaru's skull, but then he nodded sleepily. Asuma was good... he looked out for him. He was a safe person.

As Shikamaru heard the door shut, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Maybe he would close them for just a little... Just a moment...

/AN/ Wow, it took me so long to update this... But I felt an obligation to the people who liked it, even though I'm not really into Naruto anymore. I hope someone enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4

Well, I was just thinking, maybe updating this story would be fun. I'm not really into Naruto anymore, but hey, why not give it a whirl? And I've never mentioned this, but this story is pre-shippuden.

I don't own Naruto! end /AN/

Shikamaru woke up slowly, blearily, as unknown forces gently shook him. He looked around groggily, wondering where and why he was. Then he realised that he was looking into the faces of Asuma and Ino, and he blinked slowly, mouth forming the words, "What is it?"

"Shikamaru, Asuma's been worried sick! Why did you run away from the hospital?" Ino's voice was like listening to metal being torn, and Shikamaru wrinkled his nose in distaste. Wait... Ino had asked him a question, hadn't she? He concentrated on figuring out an answer, but Asuma spoke up next.

"How did you even get out of the hospital? The nurses should have been watching you." He sounded very concerned, and Shikamaru felt a hand press against his forehead. "I dunno..." It seemed as though it was the only thing he could think of, as his thoughts came as slow as snails.

How had he gotten out of the hospital? He seemed to recall simply leaving, but maybe that wasn't right. Maybe someone had helped him out, or he'd went out through a window. He squirmed under the hand, which withdrew.

"We need to get you back there, Shikamaru," Asuma said, and Shikamaru stared dumbly at him. Until it computed what he meant, and then he began shaking his head. "I don' wanna go back there," he mumbled, curling tighter in the chair, as if being smaller would make him harder to move.

Ino immediately began to pull on him, and Shikamaru jumped, beginning to squirm and try to pull away. "No, stoppit! Stoppit!"

Asuma put a hand on Ino's shoulder, making her stop. "Ino, that's unnecessary. If we need to move him, I'll move him." He turned to Shikamaru, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "Now, I'm not going to force you to go anywhere... Shikamaru? Hello?"

Asuma couldn't get Shikamaru's attention, as the boy was trapped in a memory. Hands grabbing him, he couldn't scream, couldn't move, couldn't escape. There was nothing beyond his horrible predicament, nothing beyond the pain and the terror-

"Shikamaru!" There was a sharp slap on the side of his face, and Asuma came into focus. Shikamaru's eyes were wide with confusion and betrayal. Why had Asuma hit him? Why would Asuma ever do that?

"Shikamaru, are you alright?" Asuma's hand was back on his shoulder, and Shikamaru tried to figure out if he was alright. What was alright? It wasn't something he had felt lately, that was for sure. He hadn't felt alright in the past week or so.

"I'm fine." Was what he said, despite it not quite describing at all how he felt.

Ino sighed in relief. "You looked like you were stuck somewhere else, Shikamaru! It was kind of scary!" Shikamaru could only think that Ino had no idea just how scary.

"We need to take you back to the hospital so you can recover properly, alright?" Asuma sounded gentle, but Shikamaru knew that he had more than the capacity to remove him forcibly to the hospital. He squirmed more in his chair, looking up at Asuma pleadingly.

"I don't want to stay there," he said, enunciating as clearly as he could. "I want to stay with you. Don't leave me alone, please."

Asuma sighed, putting his other hand on Shikamaru's other shoulder. "Maybe you can, but first we have to go to the hospital to get permission, alright?" Asuma didn't ask if he would rather stay with his parents, which was a comfort to Shikamaru. He didn't want to see them right now, because he didn't know what they would think of him.

Asuma gave Shikamaru a hand up, letting him lean on him. "Now, let's head back. Thank you Ino, for bringing me to him." Ino nodded, watching them go.

/AN/ Well, I hope that you liked it! I'm going to try to update this story more frequently now...


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